2008 Reebok All-American Camp: Player Grades

A few days late, here are my
final player rankings and grades from scouted players at the 2008 Reebok
All-American camp. I didn't get to watch all the big-name players,
including top camp performers like Quincy Acy, Maurice Creek, etc, so remember
that is not a complete list. Also, I wasn't really there to watch the worst
players either, so the guys at the end of these rankings shouldn't get too
bummed out. Also, its important to keep in mind that this is camp is for the
best of the best, and even some of the guys ranked C and below are legitimate
top-level college talents.

Grades are based on overall
talent & college potential. Ie, an A+ underclassmen was most likely not as
effective as an A+ senior, but are included on the same list. Note that the
numbered ranking on the right is from the Rivals.com Top 150. Also, players
within each level are listed in ranked order.

A+

Brandon Knight - 6'3" - 2010
- Undecided - Coral Springs, FL - #8

Rightfully considered one of the
Top 10 players in his class, Knight was solid but not spectacular. A point guard
with supreme NBA-type athleticism, Knight was teamed with Kenny Boynton.

Kenny Boynton - 6'3" - 2009 -
Undecided - Pompano Beach, FL - #8

The "Human Vacuum", Boynton has
never met a shot he didn't like. But despite heaving them up from all angles
with men in his face, he was hitting shots all week long.

Renardo Sidney - 6'9" - 2009
- Los Angeles, CA - Undecided - #4

At times, looks all-world. Other
times, just looks like a bust waiting to happen. For #4 in his class, not very
exciting.

Joe Jackson - 6'0" - 2010 -
Memphis, TN - Undecided - #10

Top notch prospect. Not only
excelling on offense, but standing out on D where he took a charge and was very
active in passing lanes and going for loose balls.

Mike Shaw - 6'8" - 2011 -
Undecided - Chicago, IL

This is the first I've seen of
the highly propsect out of Illinois, and let me just say I'm a believer.
Despite the monster size for his age, Shaw is basically a small forward who has
a surprisingly good handle & hands.

La' Quinto Ross - 6'9" - 2011
- Jackson, MS - Undecided

Even if a senior, would still be
one of the best. Amazing body and ball-handling skills for kid his size and
age. Big-time prospect.

A

Avery Bradley - 6'3" - 2009 -
Tacoma, WA - Undecided - #16

Was most impressive on defense,
going against Cadougan. Really stayed in front of him, and made life hard.
Tries harder than most.

Mfon Udofia - 6'2" - 2009 -
Stone Mountain, GA - #30

One of the best PG's in his
class. Can really pass the ball, and looked great running pick & roll.
Enjoyable to watch.

Abdul Gaddy - 6'4" - 2009 -
Tacoma, WA - Undecided - #14

Brings a calming influence to
the game. Great passer. More of a pure floor general. More suited for real
basketball than this setting.

Michael Snaer - 6'5" - 2009 -
Moreno Valley, CA - Undecided - #47

Top-notch athleticism. Had a
nice dunk right over Dan Jennings. Blew by defenders at time going to rim.

A-

Guy Landri-Edi - 6'7" - 2009
- Northridge, CA

Listed as a PF, but really a
pure wing who runs the floor quite well and throws it down with force. Built
like weight-lifter.. threw down one dunk from a virtual stand-still.

Karron Johnson - 6'7" - 2009
- Richmond, VA - #38

One of the best athletes in
class considering size, but too inconsistent, out of control, and cocky at
times.

Dan Jennings - 6'8" - 2009 -
Staten Island, NY - #128

Deserves a higher ranking.
Post-game is really improving. Plays and looks like a man.

Richard Howell - 6'8" - 2009
- Maritta, GA - Undecided - #59

Was in-love with the 3-point
shot. He hit a bunch of outside shots, but was never really guarded. Not sure
what he can do on the inside.

Givon Crump - 6'7" - 2009 -
Washington, DC - #115

Caught fire with jumper at
times. Standing around a lot though and not getting involved on the inside. Is
he a 3 or a 4?

B+

Terrell Vinson - 6'9" - 2009
- Upper Marlboro, MD - Undecided #64

Seen him many times, but never
been that impressed. Has a unique stature and strong-thick lower legs. Does he
have negative attitude?

Junior Cadougan - 6'0" - 2009
- Toronto, ON - Marquette

Built like a brick. Had some
top notch passes in the open court. In the half-court though, was relatively
shut down by Bradley.

Trent's body and game are
well-suited for the all-star camp setting. Despite the height, he runs like a
pure wing player, and on a good day, can shoot like a two.

Timothy Frazier - 6'2" - 2009
- Undecided - Houston, TX

We can call Frazier a combo
guard, because though he can get the ball up the court, he's really more of a
slasher who wants to run and take you to the rim. He has real blow-by abilities,
and easily drove past more highly-rated prospects.

B

Pe'Shon Howard - 6'2" - 2010
- Cleveland, OH - Undecided

Amazingly thick body. Bit of a
hot dog though. Is that just par for the course at Oak Hill?

Nick Russell - 6'4" - 2009 -
Undecided - Duncanville, TX - #92

For a kid with his size, Russell
is very fast with the ball. He excels in the open court, where he can lead the
break or finish on the wing. I'm not sold on his ability to be a real true lead
point guard though.

Michael Gbinjie - 6'5" - 2011
- Chester, VA

While not a super-prospect at
this point like Mike Shaw, Gbinjie was nonetheless one of the camp's best
underclassmen. A pure wing at this point in his development, he has great
athleticism.

Meyers Leonard - 6'10" -
Robinson, IL - Undecided - #94

Looks like a college athlete.
Not getting to involved in the action.. almost a bit disinterested.

Derrick Williams - 6'7" -
2010 - Undecided - Staten Island, NY

A very impressive power forward,
who despite appearing to be a bit chunky, is well-built and surprisingly agile.
He runs the floor quicker than you'd expect.

Aaric Murray - 6'10" - 2010 -
Philadelphia, PA - Undecided

An emerging high-major type
prospect. Hit one nice baby-hook and has the raw talent to develop an actual
offensive post-game.

B-

Carl Baptiste - 6'8" - 2009 -
Pittstown, NJ - St. Joseph's

Strong, mature body that can
match anybody. Gives a great effort. Not sure whether he has a well-developed
offensive game.

Tony Freeland - 6'7" - 2009 -
Los Angeles, CA - Undecided

Strong kid who actually plays
bigger than his height. Had one great follow-up jam. FT needs work and
sometimes looks a bit out of control.

Tobias Harris - 6'8" - 2010 -
Dix Hills, NY - #90

Disappointing. Runs a bit
sluggishly and looked out of breath at times. Was soft, and played like a boy
compared to other top senior forwards.

Juwan Moody - 5'11" - 2011 -
Auburn Hills, MI

While his listed height of 5'11"
is a bit generous, he's still an intriguing prospect to watch down the line.
He's not the fastest guy out there, but he does have a great handle and
occasionally made some sweet passes.

C+

Jeremy Olsen - 6'10" - 2009
Lawrenceville, GA - Utah

Olsen has a strong, firm body
that is almost like a smaller version of Cole Aldrich. For a kid his size, he
moves quite well and is well-coordinated. But at times, it was almost like he
was trying to do too much with he has.

Erique Gumbs - 6'9" - 2009 -
Newark, DE - Undecided

A bit raw, but serious athletic
talent. Effective blocking shots and dunking the ball. Needs improvement, but
has BCS-level traits.

Fuquan Edwin - 6'5" - 2010 -
Paterson, NJ - Undecided

Has a lot of athleticism, but
not very refined. Outside shot just looks bad, and needs serious work.

C

Thomas Knight - 6'9" - 2009 -
Undecided - Dixfield, ME

Let me preface this capsule by
saying I saw Knight literally play for about 3 minutes. He hurt his eye and had
to sit out the rest of the afternoon and I never watched him again. With that
said, for a kid who I had absolutely no expectations for, he was surprisingly
effective.

Dexter Fields - 6'2" - 2009 -
Orlando, FL - Undecided

A pure scorer who was a pleasant
surprise. Needs to learn how to play off the ball, but can really stroke jump
shots.

Chris Perez - 6'4" - 2009 -
Undecided - New Port, FL

This scoring guard impressed me
with good effort and feel for the game. He's got decent size, and a knack for
getting the ball in the hoop in a variety of ways.

Jake Cohen - 6'10" - 2009 -
Undecided - Berwyn, PA

For a kid getting looks from
big-time high-majors like ASU and Michigan, Cohen was a bit disappointing. He
showed some flashes of quality, but the game-pace seemed to be a bit too quick
for him.

Marshall Henderson - 6'2" -
2009 - Hurst, TX - Undecided

Supposedly known for his
shooting prowess. Hit a couple tough bank-shots, with surprising touch. Not
really suited for the all-out fast break style of camp.

Darren White - 6'4" - 2009 -
Danville, VA - Undecided

Unknown to me. Was surprisingly
athletic, can really get up. Can hit the three, but not consistently. Looks
like he's just now getting good.

C-

Kyle Fuller - 6'1" - 2010 -
Moreno Valley, CA - Undecided

Only slightly watched him..
mainly because he was getting beat often by Udofia. Tough matchup though.

Dominique O'Connor - 5'10" -
2009 - Los Angeles, CA - Undecided

Had scattered great moments
mixed in with long periods of blah. Does have good speed and really gets out in
the open court.

Arsalan Kazemi - 6'8" - 2009
- Houston, TX - Undecided

Runs quite well for such height.
Really a wing. Very awkward movements. At times looks like he's never played
ball before.

Tyrone Garland - 6'0" - 2010
- Philadelphia, PA - Undecided

Local kid who needs some work to
play at this top level.

Rodney Blount - 6'0" - 2009 - Orlando, FL

Quick point guard who excels in
open court. Not very effective in the half-court where he looked a bit
overmatched at times. Not high-major ready.

Trevor Dillard - 5'10" - 2009
- New York, NY - Undecided

Kind of chubby.. like a Levance
Fields. Not as fast as you'd like and beaten off dribble at times. Showed some
good pep and positive spirit at times. Not high-major quality.

SPONSORS

About Shawn Siegel

ColumnistShawn Siegel - Head Editor

Contactshawn@collegehoops.net

Background

Shawn Siegel created CollegeHoops.net (formerly collegehoopsnet.com) back in the summer of 2002, and it has since grown into the web's largest independent college basketball site, visited by over 1,000,000 visitors per year. Shawn is responsible for the CHN Top 50,Bracketology projections (he is ranked the #1 Bracketologist over the last 4 years), as well the NBA Mock Draft.

Shawn's college basketball and NBA Draft commentary has been quoted in dozens of national newspapers, and he's been a featured guest on numerous radio programs.

After graduating from Washington University and Washington University Law School before, Shawn passed the New Jersey Bar exam but no longer practices Law. For more on his background, visit hisLinkedIn profile.

Please email him at shawn@collegehoops.net with all media requests, advertising inquiries, and partnership opportunities.